Four Instagram automation tools count different things: ManyChat counts contacts, respond.io counts Monthly Active Contacts and users, Chatfuel limits AI use, and VivaDialog counts conversations and AI replies. A price list cannot be compared side by side because the units differ. This page puts the same three scenarios through all four, shows the formula for each tool, picks the cheapest plan that fits, and gives the cost per month and per year. Where a price was not recorded in our sources, the cell says “Not recorded” instead of a guess.
VivaDialog is our product, so check the arithmetic rather than trusting the ranking. Every input is in the tables below, and each competitor row links to the official pricing page. Competitor prices were checked in 2026, in US dollars, and prices vary by billing country and change over time, so confirm them before you decide: ManyChat, respond.io, Chatfuel, and VivaDialog’s own pricing page.
The result in one table
Cheapest plan that fits each scenario, in dollars per month when billed monthly. Where a tool has two plausible plans, both are shown, and the sections below show how each number was built.
| Scenario | VivaDialog | ManyChat | respond.io Starter / Growth | Chatfuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: 1 person, 400 people a month | Starter: $9 | Pro: $39 | $99 / $199 | Business: $20 |
| B: one viral post, 3,000 people | Pro: $20 | Business: $99 | $99 / $399 | Business: $20 |
| C: team of 5, 1,500 people a month | Growth: $12 | Pro: $39 | $99 / $259 | Business: $20 |
The same scenarios over a year, billed yearly (twelve times the yearly rate):
| Scenario | VivaDialog | ManyChat | respond.io Starter / Growth | Chatfuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $86.40 | $348 | $948 / $1,908 | $216 |
| B | $192 | $828 | $948 / Not recorded | $216 |
| C | $115.20 | $348 | $948 / Not recorded | $216 |
The totals are not a verdict on which tool is better. They say what each pricing model charges for one stated month, and the plans do not include the same things. The section on what the numbers leave out lists the differences.
How we counted
Three fixed scenarios, the same for every tool:
- Scenario A, a small account. One person runs it. 400 different people comment or message in the month, and each gets automatic replies.
- Scenario B, one viral post. One person runs the account. 3,000 people comment on one post and get a DM, and 1,000 of them answer the DM. The 1,000 are part of the 3,000, so the month has 3,000 people, and no other traffic.
- Scenario C, a team. Five people work one inbox, the owner and four teammates. 1,500 different people reach out in the month and get automatic replies.
Assumptions that hold in all three:
- Each person counts as one contact in ManyChat, one Monthly Active Contact (MAC) in respond.io, and one conversation in VivaDialog. In VivaDialog, a DM sent for a comment counts as the same conversation as the comment, so the 1,000 DM answers in scenario B add nothing.
- Every automatic reply is fixed text. No AI replies are used, so no AI credits are spent. AI costs are listed separately below.
- Replies a person writes by hand are not counted in VivaDialog. We did not record how the competitors treat them, and none of the scenarios needs it.
- The price is the plan price in US dollars, before tax. “Billed yearly” means the yearly rate per month, paid once for the year, so a year costs twelve times that rate.
- A plan fits when it covers the people reached and the users. Where a plan can be stretched with a recorded extra charge, the formula shows it.
Rate sheets
These are the inputs. Everything in the scenario tables comes from here.
VivaDialog
From the pricing page and how pricing works. The owner is not counted in users, so “You + 10” means 11 people.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | Conversations a month | AI replies a month | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $9 | $7.20 | 500 | 200 | You + 1 |
| Growth | $12 | $9.60 | 2,000 | 1,000 | You + 10 |
| Pro | $20 | $16 | 10,000 | 3,000 | You + 20 |
| Premium | $35 | $28 | 50,000 | 8,000 | You + 30 |
ManyChat
Prices are per active contacts tier. Advanced billed monthly was not confirmed in our check, so it is left out.
| Plan | Contacts included | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 25 | $0 | $0 |
| Essential | 250 | $17 | $14 |
| Pro | 2,500 | $39 | $29 |
| Business | 7,500 | $99 | $69 |
| Advanced | 25,000 | Not recorded | $139 |
respond.io
Starter lists MAC as unlimited and does not count it. Growth and Advanced price by MAC tier. The monthly prices below are the ones the price calculator listed for each tier; at the page’s default of 1,000 MAC it also lists yearly rates.
| MAC tier | Starter, billed monthly | Growth, billed monthly | Advanced, billed monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $99 | $199 | $349 |
| 2,500 | $99 | $299 | $529 |
| 5,000 | $99 | $399 | $699 |
| 10,000 | $99 | $559 | $989 |
Yearly rates at 1,000 MAC: Starter $79, Growth $159, Advanced $279 a month. Yearly rates at the other tiers are not recorded. Contacts above your tier are billed at the end of the cycle per block of 100 MAC: $12 on Growth and $15 on Advanced, and a started block counts as a whole one. Users included: 5 on Starter, 10 on Growth and Advanced. Extra users cost $12 (Starter), $20 (Growth), and $24 (Advanced) a month.
Chatfuel
Chatfuel’s limits page lists unlimited active contacts and unlimited messages. The limit is on AI use, which is measured in credits.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | AI credits a month | Companies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | $20 | $18 | $20 | 1 |
| Agency S | $100 | $90 | $100 | 3 |
Agency M, L, XL, and XXL cost $225, $440, $850, and $2,050 a month billed monthly. We did not record their yearly rates, AI credits, or company limits. Agency plans are for several companies, and no scenario here needs one.
The formula for each tool
Each formula is the one used in the scenario tables, so you can replace our numbers with yours.
- VivaDialog: the cheapest plan where conversations a month are at least the people reached, and where the users included cover the team. Per month is the plan rate. Per year is twelve times the monthly rate, or twelve times the yearly rate when billed yearly.
- ManyChat: the cheapest plan where contacts included are at least the people reached. The price for going over a plan’s contacts is charged per contact, and the rate was not recorded, so we move up a plan instead.
- respond.io Starter: $99 a month at any contact volume, with 5 users included. Growth: the lower of two prices, the tier that covers your MAC, or a smaller tier plus $12 for each started block of 100 MAC above it. Users above the included ones add $20 each on Growth.
- Chatfuel Business: $20 a month, with unlimited contacts and messages, as long as AI use stays inside the plan’s credits.
Scenario A: a small account
One person, 400 people in the month, fixed-text replies.
| Tool and plan | How it fits | Per month, billed monthly | Per month, billed yearly | Over 12 months, monthly / yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VivaDialog Starter | 400 of 500 conversations, owner plus 1 user | $9 | $7.20 | $108 / $86.40 |
| ManyChat Pro | 400 contacts is over Essential’s 250, so Pro (2,500) | $39 | $29 | $468 / $348 |
| respond.io Starter | MAC unlimited, 1 of 5 users | $99 | $79 | $1,188 / $948 |
| respond.io Growth | 400 of 1,000 MAC at the default tier | $199 | $159 | $2,388 / $1,908 |
| Chatfuel Business | Unlimited contacts and messages, no AI | $20 | $18 | $240 / $216 |
ManyChat’s Essential plan covers 250 contacts, so 150 people go over. Essential plus 150 extra contacts costs $17 plus a per-contact rate we did not record, so Pro at $39 is the cheapest ManyChat plan with a known price. Starter on respond.io has no AI Agents and no Workflows, which is why Growth is listed next to it.
Scenario B: one viral post
3,000 people comment and get a DM, and 1,000 answer it. One person runs the account.
| Tool and plan | How it fits | Per month, billed monthly | Per month, billed yearly | Over 12 months, monthly / yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VivaDialog Pro | 3,000 is over Growth’s 2,000 and under Pro’s 10,000 | $20 | $16 | $240 / $192 |
| ManyChat Business | 3,000 contacts is over Pro’s 2,500, so Business (7,500) | $99 | $69 | $1,188 / $828 |
| respond.io Starter | MAC unlimited, 1 of 5 users | $99 | $79 | $1,188 / $948 |
| respond.io Growth | 5,000 tier, no extra blocks | $399 | Not recorded | $4,788 / Not recorded |
| Chatfuel Business | Unlimited contacts and messages, no AI | $20 | $18 | $240 / $216 |
We use the 5,000 tier because its price is listed with no assumptions. The 1,000 tier plus 2,000 extra MAC is 20 blocks x $12 = $240 on top of $199, which is $439. The 2,500 tier at $299 plus 5 extra blocks would be $359, but only if the $12 per 100 MAC rate also applies on that tier, which we did not confirm.
ManyChat’s Pro plan covers 2,500 contacts, so 500 people go over. Pro plus 500 extra contacts costs $39 plus a per-contact rate that was not recorded: Not recorded.
VivaDialog has a cheaper route once add-ons are on sale. Growth is $12 and covers 2,000 conversations. A pack of 2,000 conversations is listed at $5, which would cover the other 1,000. That is $12 + $5 = $17 for the month, and the unused 1,000 conversations in the pack do not expire. Add-ons are not on sale yet, so the table uses Pro.
Scenario C: a team of five
Five people share one inbox, 1,500 people in the month, fixed-text replies.
| Tool and plan | How it fits | Per month, billed monthly | Per month, billed yearly | Over 12 months, monthly / yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VivaDialog Growth | 1,500 of 2,000 conversations, owner plus 4 of 10 users | $12 | $9.60 | $144 / $115.20 |
| ManyChat Pro | 1,500 contacts, within 2,500 | $39 | $29 | $468 / $348 |
| respond.io Starter | MAC unlimited, 5 of 5 users | $99 | $79 | $1,188 / $948 |
| respond.io Growth | 1,000 tier at $199, plus 500 extra MAC = 5 blocks x $12 = $60 | $259 | Not recorded | $3,108 / Not recorded |
| Chatfuel Business | Unlimited contacts and messages, no AI | $20 | $18 | $240 / $216 |
The 2,500 tier on Growth costs $299, so the smaller tier plus extra blocks is the cheaper of the two in this scenario. We did not record ManyChat’s or Chatfuel’s limits on team members. Starter fits the five people exactly. A sixth person would cost $12 a month more.
Add-on costs we have on record
The scenarios use no AI and no extras. These are the add-on figures found in our sources, for when your month looks different.
| Tool | Extra contacts or conversations | Extra users | AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| VivaDialog | Packs of 2,000 conversations for $5, 5,000 for $10, 8,000 for $15, 12,000 for $20 (not on sale yet) | $5 a month per user, or $48 a year on a yearly plan (not on sale yet) | Included in every plan: 200, 1,000, 3,000, or 8,000 replies a month. Packs of 1,000 for $5, 2,500 for $10, 4,000 for $15, 6,000 for $20 (not on sale yet), or your own AI key |
| ManyChat | Charged per contact over the plan. Rate: Not recorded | Not recorded | Our sources disagreed on whether AI is an add-on or part of Pro. Price: Not recorded |
| respond.io | $12 per 100 MAC (Growth), $15 per 100 (Advanced) | $12 (Starter), $20 (Growth), $24 (Advanced) a month | $15 per 1,000 extra credits, capped at 200% of the plan’s allowance |
| Chatfuel | Not applicable, unlimited | Not recorded | $20 of credits on Business, $100 on Agency S. Your own OpenAI key can be connected through support, and fair use does not apply with it |
What the numbers leave out
A price per scenario hides what the plan contains. Before you pick the lowest total, check these.
- Channels. respond.io lists Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp, and SMS. Chatfuel lists Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and website chat. VivaDialog covers Facebook Pages, Instagram, Threads, Telegram, email, and website chat, and it does not support WhatsApp or SMS. For TikTok it only schedules video posts.
- Features by plan. respond.io Starter has no AI Agents and no Workflows, and those start on Growth. VivaDialog flows start on Growth. We did not record which plan of each competitor includes keyword-based comment replies, so confirm that before choosing the cheapest one.
- AI. All three scenarios use fixed text. If an AI assistant answers many of your messages, the AI allowance decides the bill: credits on Chatfuel and respond.io, the monthly reply quota on VivaDialog.
- What happens at the limit. On VivaDialog a used-up conversation quota stops automations and AI from answering new conversations until the next month (UTC), and replies written by hand always go out. On Chatfuel a used-up AI limit pauses the bot. On respond.io, going over a tier is billed at the end of the cycle and does not stop anything.
- Volume. VivaDialog’s listed plans end at 50,000 conversations a month. Chatfuel Business at $20 with unlimited contacts and messages is cheaper than VivaDialog Premium at $35 for traffic above 10,000 conversations without AI, if Chatfuel’s limits hold for your use.
When each total changes
The three scenarios are snapshots, and the formulas move with your numbers.
- At 25 contacts or fewer, ManyChat’s free plan costs nothing, and VivaDialog has no free plan.
- Up to 500 conversations a month, VivaDialog costs $9. Up to 2,000 it costs $12, up to 10,000 it costs $20, and up to 50,000 it costs $35. Each step up is a price you can read in advance, because nothing counts contacts.
- ManyChat steps at 250, 2,500, 7,500, and 25,000 contacts. A busy month moves you up a plan or adds a per-contact charge we have no rate for.
- respond.io Starter stays at $99 whatever the volume. Growth rises with the MAC tier, plus $12 per started block of 100 above it.
- Chatfuel Business stays at $20 whatever the volume while AI use is inside the plan.
For the reasoning behind flat and per-contact plans, flat vs per-contact pricing shows what each model does when a post takes off, and pay per message vs per contact vs flat pricing works a per-message example.
Where to read each tool’s details
Each tool has its own pricing article with plan tables, extras, and who it suits: ManyChat pricing, respond.io pricing, and Chatfuel pricing. The side-by-side pages are VivaDialog vs ManyChat, VivaDialog vs respond.io, and VivaDialog vs Chatfuel. To compare more tools than these four, see best Instagram DM automation tools. For what a comment automation can do and the limits Meta sets, see Instagram comment automation: the complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the cheapest of the four?
For the three scenarios and with no AI, VivaDialog was the lowest in A and C, and tied with Chatfuel Business at $20 in B. respond.io Starter is a flat $99 and costs more than VivaDialog and Chatfuel at these volumes. The ranking changes with the features and channels you need.
Why does the yearly figure say “12 x rate”?
A yearly plan is priced as a monthly rate paid once for the year. We multiply that rate by twelve, so VivaDialog Starter at $7.20 a month is $86.40 for the year.
Why are some cells “Not recorded”?
Because our sources do not state the number, and a guess would look like a fact. The main gaps are ManyChat’s per-contact charge above a plan, respond.io’s yearly rates at tiers above 1,000 MAC, and team limits on ManyChat and Chatfuel.
Do these prices change?
Yes. They vary by billing country and change over time. We checked the competitor figures in 2026, and the pages linked above are the source to confirm before you buy.
VivaDialog is in early access right now, and participants get the Growth plan free for 30 days. The pricing page has the details.